Protecting Children from Sexual Crimes: An Overview of the Sexual Offences against Children Act 2017 (Act 792)
The recently published Digital News Report 2017 by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism has discovered the rise of instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, Line and many others for sharing and distributing of news in the cyber world. Out of these services, WhatsApp...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/1271/1/FH03-FUHA-18-12030.pdf http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/1271/ |
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| Summary: | The recently published Digital News Report 2017 by Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism has discovered the rise of instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Viber,
WeChat, Line and many others for sharing and distributing of news in the cyber world. Out of
these services, WhatsApp was found to have been the preferred platform in Malaysia with
over half of the surveyed respondents in the country (51 percent) used the application for
news. The scenario has undoubtedly raised a serious cause for concern regarding the spread of
fake news among WhatsApp users. In relation to this, the Deputy Minister of
Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Jailani Johari, has on 27 April 2017 reprimanded
WhatsApp admins that as gatekeepers they may be exposed to legal actions including
imprisonment, should they fail to control and prevent the spread of false information that
could jeopardise national security among members of WhatsApp groups that they administer.
Nonetheless, uncertainty arises as to the legality of this move as it seems to hold WhatsApp
admins accountable not only for their own posts, but also for any false information that are
disseminated by other members in their groups. As such, this article attempts to analyse
relevant statutory provisions related to the proposed move and the potential liability of
WhatsApp admins for illegal postings made by other group members. |
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